Natividad (Sandoval) Herrera Drisdale

Natividad “Nate” (Sandoval) Herrera Drisdale, age 91, a lifelong resident of Nambe, New Mexico, passed away on Thursday, April 7, 2016 after a brief illness. She is preceded in death by her first husband, Adrian Herrera; her second husband, Lewis Drisdale; her mother, Beatriz (Romero) Sandoval; her father, Nestor Sandoval; her brother, Jose Flavio Sandoval; her sister, Eliodora “Lola” Gonzales; her aunt, Ignacita Valdez; her grandson, Rick Romero; and her great granddaughter, Vanessa Herrera.
Natividad was a woman of integrity who displayed an untiring work ethic and unwavering love and devotion to her family. Perseverance and an innate inner strength enabled her to transcend considerable adversity throughout her life with grace and steadfastness. After her mother died when Natividad was 14, she stopped her formal education to help her father care for her two younger siblings, Lola and Jose. At this time she began working full time to support them and take care of the family home. She married her first love, Adrian Herrera, and they had four children. A doting husband and a gentle father, Adrian saved Natividad’s life one day when she suffered severe burns from an oil stove backdraft. Adrian died unexpectedly in a construction accident in 1952. They had been married for 12 years. Supporting their four children with several jobs at a time, she found her calling as a skilled seamstress. Eventually, she found joy again when she fell in love with and married Lewis Drisdale in 1954. Together they had three daughters. As an interracial married couple there were unique challenges of the times, but Natividad withstood it with her characteristic quiet dignity. Natividad and Lewis worked hard to provide for all their children. He passed away in 1983.
Natividad had a natural affinity for carpentry and helped build her home often working well into the night. After this, she would often tell her family that she would have enjoyed working as a carpenter. Blessed with a naturally robust and healthy constitution, she prided herself on being free of the need for doctor visits or prescription medications well into her eighties. She never learned how to drive, so for much of her life, she walked everywhere. She loved being outdoors and spent hours tending to her yard. An impeccable dresser, she loved fashion, took pride in her appearance, and loved to amuse others by telling jokes.
Despite frequent economic hardships, Natividad provided well for her family. They remember their mother staying up into the early morning hours to sew or work on the house. It wasn’t until they were adults when they grasped all the sacrifices their mother had made for their well-being. She was generous beyond measure and known for her contributions to those in need, whether it was household items, clothing, a place to stay, or an ear to listen.
Nate, as she was called by loved ones, was blessed to live a long life and to witness the growth of the generations beyond the diverse and loving family she created. Throughout her life’s numerous hardships, her extraordinary ability to face adversity can be summed up in two words:  overcome and thrive. She accepted her burdens, bore them with elegance, and became stronger as a result. She taught us that, no matter what we are facing, it is always possible to reach even deeper into our souls to find the strength to pick ourselves up and keep moving forward. She was a venerated matriarch who will be greatly missed and always remembered.
Her legacy lives on in her seven children, 16 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and nine great-great grandchildren. Her surviving children are daughter Beatriz Basquez of Sacramento, CA; daughter Lorenza Romero and husband Frank Romero of Nambe, NM; son Medardo “Marty” Herrera and wife Sylvia Herrera of La Villita, NM; son Jose Otoniel “Otto” Herrera of Nambe, NM; daughter Louise Drisdale of Pojoaque, NM; daughter Carmela Drisdale and husband Adrian Sanchez of Foothill Ranch, CA; daughter Verge Drisdale and partner Dan Frey of Albuquerque, NM; and former son-in-law Jace Valencia of Thousand Oaks, CA. A rosary will be recited on Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Nambe. Memorial mass will be celebrated on Friday, April 15, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. also at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Nambe, followed by a burial at Sacred Heart Cemetery. Serving the family as pallbearers will be her eldest grandchildren, Adrian Valencia and Quella Musgrave. The family invites you to join them in celebrating Natividad’s life at a reception immediately following the funeral services.  The family of Natividad “Nate” (Sandoval) Herrera Drisdale has entrusted the care of their loved one to the DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the Espanola Valley. 505-747-7477 – www.devargasfuneral.com

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